Sony Alpha A390 DSLR Camera / Lens Kit, with 18-55mm Lens, 4 GB SD Memory Card, Camera System Bag,4.0 out of 5 stars Sony Alpha a390- Great camera for the price, March 24, 2011

I purchased this camera a few weeks back and did a full test of it's features. The optics where superb, and the build quality was substantial. The in body vibration reduction and articulated lcd are awesome features and missing from other higher end cameras. Most impressive was the price-the price at the time from Adorama camera was $459 which is far below anyone elses price. I had used Sony's line of point and shoots and so I knew that i would be pretty happy with the camera.
Now onto the not so good-
I ended up returning it because I failed to realize or research the fact that the FPS was 2.5. Since I hadn't owned a DSLR prior to this I didn't have a frame of reference but when i used the continuous shooting mode it felt extremely slow. I don't mean and certainly don't want that to sound like a bad thing, in fact it didn't really hinder most of my shooting. However, the expectation was there and gave me the impression that it was sub standard to other brands. I had used a Nikon D40 and Canon T1i and both had continuous shooting and it made me expect that from a comparable DSLR. Again, it doesn't really mean much, but it's a nice to have. Also, the Battery didn't seem like it had a full days worth of shooting in it. I took it out one after noon and walked around and by 5pm it was out of battery life. I had only taken 50 shots and i don't really use the live view and so I felt that it again was sub "pro tools."
So I looked around for accessories (battery grip- things like that) and i had a tough time finding them. Other brands had loads of accessories and affordable prices but Sony seemed to have super expensive prices or the alternative- one to two cheap options which weren't worth the trouble of ordering.
Looking back now- I probably should have kep the Sony. The price was incredible and I could have done with the 2.5 FPS. I'm still shopping for a DSLR and the prices seemed to have just shot up to a price just a little too out of reach. If your looking for a Sub $600 DSLR camera, you really can't beat the Sony a390. I've done a comparison to the Canon T1i, T2i, The Nikon D500. All are great cameras, but all of the rest are over $600, and if you want the most for you can get for the money- the Sony is the right choice. I posted photos taken with the kit lens. If your like me, thats what you want to see.

Review by R. Fernandez